Free your iPad from Wi-Fi--but unfortunately, not from AT&T

When I reviewed the Wi-Fi iPad for our June cover story (4.5 out of 5 stars), it was a little tricky coming up with bona fide complaints about it--call me fangirl all you want, but I was smitten, as was the rest of the Mac|Life staff. With the iPad Wi-Fi+3G, my rose-colored glasses are covered with smudgy fingerprints of regret. After two days of failed 3G account activation and a good 90 minutes of phone calls (first with AT&T, who passed me to Apple, who told me to talk to AT&T, who transferred me to Apple, who transferred me back to AT&T), the 3G iPad’s luster was fading--fast. I even considered returning it. And that’s saying a lot for someone who loves the iPad as much as I do.

If you don’t need 3G service regularly, we recommend sticking with the cheaper Wi-Fi version.

Physically, the 3G iPad is just as sleek and sexy as the Wi-Fi version. It uses assisted GPS for location services, trumping the Wi-Fi unit’s method of locating you based on the hotspot you’re closest to. And the built-in compass helpfully reorients the maps in the direction you’re facing.

But the big difference is the 3G service, which you sign up for in the iPad’s Settings app under Cellular Data. The available plans are $14.99/month for 250MB and $29.99/month for unlimited data. To track how much data you’re using, head to Settings > General > Usage. As a reference, streaming a 22-minute Arrested Development episode with the Netflix app used 68.2MB. The plans run 30 days from the day you start them, and they automatically renew.

And if you’re able to sign up seamlessly, feel lucky. I got most of the way there, then kept getting an error marked “Q5033: Please try again later.” Not even restoring the iPad to factory settings helped. Multiple phone calls to AT&T finally got my 3G service running, but as of this writing, I still can’t manage my account or change plans from the Cellular Data setting on the iPad--and unfortunately, that’s the only way to do it. The pleasant AT&T reps I’ve spoken to canceled the auto-renewal, gave me a ticket number, and promised to follow up when AT&T finds a solution. While I really wish Apple would branch out to other carriers for both the iPad 3G and the iPhone, the AT&T reps have been sympathetic and helpful, even though they admitted they weren’t sure what was causing the error (I didn’t tell them I was reviewing the iPad). As of this writing, 15 users on Apple’s Support Discussion forums got the same error; it appears that calling AT&T is the only fix.

When testing the 3G network, my upload and download speeds varied widely because the performance is fully dependent on AT&T’s 3G network, which is notoriously spotty here in the San Francisco Bay Area. In five tests, the iPad averaged just 0.25Mbps downloading over the 3G network, which was half the speed of the iPhone 3GS tested in the same area at the same time (0.49Mbps downloading). The iPad did upload at 0.13Mbps over 3G, which is slightly faster than the iPhone 3GS’s 0.09Mbps. Using Wi-Fi, the iPad 3G averaged speeds of 3.30Mbps down and 3.63Mbps up, which is comparable to the Wi-Fi–only iPad’s 3.05Mbps down and 3.46Mbps up--and again, your results will vary with your network speed. And though the iPhone 3GS has a Field Test Mode that lets you gauge the 3G radio’s signal strength, Apple confirmed that there’s no such mode on the iPad, so we can’t tell if the iPad’s 3G radio is stronger or weaker than the iPhone’s. At least the battery life still impresses--we got 13.5 hours of video playback (at half-brightness and half-volume) and 11 hours, 40 minutes when streaming video over the 3G network using the Netflix app. Netflix over 3G ranged from perfect Wi-Fi–like streaming to moderate stutters that added 20-plus minutes to a 90-minute film, but again, this depends on the 3G network in your area.

Caveat emptor. If your activation goes smoothly (and it should), we’re sure you’ll love your iPad. If you get stuck on error Q5033, either return the iPad immediately or get ready for some quality time with AT&T’s service techs. But really, if you don’t need 3G service on a regular basis, we recommend sticking with the Wi-Fi version, which is $130 cheaper.

Apple iPad Wi-Fi+3G
COMPANY: Apple
CONTACT: www.apple.com
PRICE: $629, 16GB; $729, 32GB; $829, 64GB.
SPECS: 1GHz Apple A4 chip, 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive, 9.7-inch 1024x768 LED-backlit glossy Multi Touch display with IPS technology and oleophobic coating, 802.11n Wi-Fi, data-only 3G GSM radio, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, digital compass, assisted GPS, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, 30-pin Dock connector, built-in speaker, mic, and stereo headphone jack.
Great battery life. Everything the Wi-Fi iPad does well, this iPad does just as well.
No way to sign up for or manage the 3G data plan except on the iPad itself. We had significant activation problems requiring multiple phone calls to fix. Why is this device tied to AT&T again?